The present invention relates to a printing apparatus for printing images based on image data.
Recently, so-called xe2x80x9cstand-alone printersxe2x80x9d capable of producing photographic images by itself without being connected to personal computer (personal computer will be referred to as xe2x80x9cPCxe2x80x9d hereinafter) have become commonplace. The stand-alone printers are constituted by reading apparatus and operation panels. The reading apparatus is employed so as to read auxiliary media adapted to communicate with such information processing systems as memory cards on which photographic image data are recorded. The operation panels are employed in order to set such printing conditions as print paper sizes for these photographic image data.
Since such stand-alone printers can print out without being connected to PC, users who have no such PC can print out photographic images on printing media, while these photographic images are photographed by digital cameras.
In accordance with general-purpose file systems for digital cameras, character data such as photographing data/time are stored as attribute information of image data into storage media. Such character data may be read out from the recording media in combination with the image data when the printing operation is carried out, and then, can be printed out in combination with these image data. For instance, in the case that image data are outputted in an album form, and in such a case that an index of images which are recorded on a recording medium is formed, such character data as photographing date/time which are printed out in combination with the images may constitute useful information for users.
However, image data, acquired in a file formed by executing an image edit application program is data acquired by a PC when the file is formed. Accordingly, the image data to be printed out cannot be acquired by the stand-alone printer when a printing operation is carried out without specifying the image data to be printed out when the file is formed. In other words, in accordance with the related image edit application program unless the image data to be printed out is specified, an output condition in a printing apparatus cannot be determined with respect to such unspecified image data. Namely, a printing position, either an enlarging ratio or a reduction ratio, or a filtering process operation cannot be designated with respect to image data acquired without specifying the image data to be printed out in the stand-alone printer. Unless the image data to be printed out is specified, the stand-alone printer cannot determine as to whether or not attribute information such as photographing date/time is printed out when the image data is outputted.
In a related printing apparatus, in a printing subject file in which an output condition such as a layout is determined with respect to image data, such image data to be printed out cannot be designated on the side of this related printing apparatus, or cannot be changed on the side of the related printing apparatus.
Generally, when a stand-alone printer has such a function capable of causing an operator to select as to whether or not character data such as photographing date/time is printed out, there is such a problem that an operation panel of this stand-alone printer owns a complex construction.
An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing method, capable of previously setting an output condition such as a layout of image data designated when a printing operation is carried out before the printing operation is performed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing method, capable of designating, or changing image data to be printed out in a printing subject file in which an output condition such as a layout is determined with respect to image data.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing method, capable of previously setting an output condition of character data belonging to image data which is designated during a printing operation, before image data to be outputted is designated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing method, capable of designating, or changing image data to be printed out in a printing subject file in which an output condition of character data belonging to image data is determined.
In the beginning, implication of terminology used in this specification will now be explained.
A term xe2x80x9coutput subject identifierxe2x80x9d is a data for linking both image data acquired by a printing apparatus and such data used to define character data to an output setting value.
A term xe2x80x9cimage output setting valuexe2x80x9d is a value for determining a content of a process operation executed by the printing apparatus with respect to image data every such image data to be outputted. This process operation includes a process operation for determining a position of an image on a printing medium, a dimension of this image, and a shape of this image which is printed on the printing medium; a trimming process operation; a filtering process operation; a rotating process operation, and the like.
A term xe2x80x9cdrawing data regionxe2x80x9d is a region which is secured in an address space of the printing apparatus, for instance, a region of such an address space in which a data set of a list and a table, which are constituted by drawing data, is arranged.
A term xe2x80x9cwork areaxe2x80x9d is a region secured in an address space of the printing apparatus, namely such a region which temporarily stores data processed by executing a predetermined process by a processing apparatus.
A term xe2x80x9cprinting image dataxe2x80x9d is data which is produced by the processing apparatus based upon image data, namely the printing apparatus directly refers to data when the printing apparatus is mechanically operated so as to print out an image.
A term xe2x80x9cimage retrieve regionxe2x80x9d is a region which is secured in an address space of the printing apparatus, for instance, a region of such an address space in which a data set of a table, which are constituted by image data and an output subject identifier, is arranged.
A term xe2x80x9creference printing framexe2x80x9d is a frame which constitutes a reference used to determine as an output condition, a shape of an image printed out based on image data, a dimension of the image, and a position of the image on a printing medium. The reference printing frame may be made of any sorts of frames from which images are not projected on a printing medium. This reference printing frame need not owns the following condition. That is, a region on a printing medium, which is surrounded by this reference printing frame, is not completely made coincident with another region where a printed image occupies on the printing medium.
A term xe2x80x9ctrimming process operationxe2x80x9d corresponds to such a process operation capable of obtaining an image having a specific shape by deleting pixels which are distributed in a peripheral region of an image.
A term xe2x80x9cfiltering process operationxe2x80x9d corresponds to such an image processing operation as a density conversion, a sharpening process, and a smoothening process, which are executed with respect to image data.
A term xe2x80x9ccharacter output setting valuexe2x80x9d corresponds to such a value used to determine a sort of information which constitutes a printing subject contained in character data, or a value used to determine a font, a font size, a printing position of character data. For instance, the character output setting value corresponds to a value used to determine the following item based upon such character data indicative of a photographing year, a photographing month, photographing time, a shutter speed, an exposure value, which are recorded by a file system designed by a predetermined specification: xe2x80x9ca field value indicative of a shutter speed is read, and the field value is printed on a lower right portion of paper by the courier new font of 12 points.xe2x80x9d
A first printing apparatus of the present invention is provided with a drawing data storage unit, an input unit, an image data acquiring unit, an image processing unit, and a printing unit, which will be explained in the below-mentioned items (1) to (5):
(1) The drawing data storage unit acquires both an output setting value and an output subject identifier linked to the output setting value via an input interface, and produces drawing data containing both the output setting value and the output subject identifier to be stored in a drawing data region. The drawing data storage unit is constituted by a processing apparatus for executing a predetermined process.
Both the output setting value and the output subject identifier are acquired from, for example, an auxiliary recording apparatus connected to an input interface, and a computer connected via a communication cable to the input interface.
(2) The input unit inputs an identifier of image data which is recorded on an auxiliary recording medium and is mutually communicable between information processing systems in relation to the output subject identifier stored in the drawing data region. The input unit is constituted by, for example, a processing apparatus for executing a predetermined process, and an input apparatus such as a selection value inputting apparatus. For instance, the processing apparatus supplies identifiers of all of image data which are recorded on the auxiliary recording medium, and the selection value inputting apparatus causes a user to selectively input any one of the received identifiers, and then supplies the inputted identifier to the processing apparatus. Then, the processing apparatus defines the received identifier in relation to the output subject identifier.
(3) The image data acquiring unit acquires the drawing data from the drawing data region, in which image data which is specified while the identifier of the image data related to the output subject identifier is used as a retrieve key is transferred from the auxiliary recording medium via the input interface to a work area. The image data acquiring unit is arranged by, for instance, a reading apparatus of an auxiliary recording medium, and a processing apparatus for executing a predetermined process operation.
(4) The image processing unit produces printing image data from the image data of the work area by employing the output setting value of the drawing data derived from the drawing data region. The image processing unit is arranged by a processing apparatus for executing a predetermined process operation. The output setting value is applied to such a parameter to which the processing apparatus refers in the case that an image produced based upon image data is converted into another image which is expressed in a coordinate system allocated to a printing medium. For instance, the output setting value is applied to such a parameter to which the processing apparatus refers while this processing apparatus calculates the determine that a certain pixel is arranged at which position on a printing medium.
(5) The printing unit prints out an image on the printing medium based upon the printing image data. The printing unit is constituted by, for example, a printer engine equipped a paper transport mechanism, an ink jetting head, a head drive mechanism, a control board, and so on.
In accordance with the printing apparatus of the present invention, since the printing subject file in which the output condition such as the layout is determined is executed, the drawing data is produced from both the output setting value and the output subject identifier, which are contained by the printing subject file. As a result, the output condition such as the layout of the image data, which is designated during the printing operation, can be previously set before the printing operation is carried out. Also, since the image data stored in the auxiliary recording medium are defined in relation to the output subject identifiers, the image data to be printed out can be designated. Since the relationship between the output subject identifiers and the image data stored in the auxiliary recording medium are changed, the image data to be printed out can be changed in the printing subject file.
In accordance with the printing apparatus of the present invention, in the case that an output subject identifier which has not yet been stored in the drawing data region is newly acquired via the input interface, the data storage unit defines the output subject identifier not yet stored in the drawing data region in related to an identifier of predetermined image data, and stores the related output subject identifier into an image retrieve region. The input unit defines an identifier of image data recorded on the auxiliary recording medium in relation to the output identifier by rewriting the identifier of the image data stored in the image retrieve region.
In accordance with the printing apparatus of the present invention, the identifiers of the image data are defined in relation to the output subject identifiers by the image retrieve region. As a consequence, according to the printing apparatus of the present invention, since the image data related thereto by the image retrieve region can be acquired from the auxiliary recording medium, the repeated (duplicated) output subject identifier may be acquired, and then, a plurality of images may be printed out based upon one image data in accordance with the different output setting values which are related to the duplicated output subject identifier.
According to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the image processing apparatus applies the image output setting value of the drawing data to a parameter used to determine a position of a reference printing frame, a dimension thereof, and a shape thereof, so that the position, the dimension, and the shape on the printing medium for printing out the image can be previously set before the image to be printed out is specified.
According to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the image processing apparatus applies the image output setting value of the drawing data to a parameter used to enlarge, compress, or trim the image produced based upon the image data in order to allocate the image produced based upon image data of the work area to the reference printing frame. As a consequence, the position, the dimension, and the shape on the printing medium for printing out the image can be previously set before the image to be printed out is specified.
According to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the image processing apparatus applies the image output setting value of the drawing data to a parameter used to execute a filtering process operation with respect to the image data of the work area. As a result, the filtering process operation which is performed to the image during the printing operation can be previously set.
A second printing apparatus of the present invention is provided with a drawing data storage unit, an input unit, an image data acquiring unit, an image processing unit, and a printing unit, which will be explained in the below-mentioned items (1) to (5):
(1) The drawing data storage unit acquires an output subject identifier, and both an image output setting value and a character output setting value, which are defined in relation to the output subject identifier via an input interface, and produces drawing data which contains the output subject identifier, the image output setting value, and the character output setting value to be stored into a drawing data region. The drawing data storage unit is arranged by a processing apparatus for executing a predetermined process. Both the output setting value and the output subject identifier, and also the character output setting value are acquired from, for example, an auxiliary recording apparatus connected to an input interface, and a computer connected via a communication cable to the input interface. It should be understood that the output subject identifier, the image output identifier, and the character subject identifier may properly change expression formats of implication contents indicated by these values in the execution stages of the process operation in the printing apparatus.
(2) The input unit inputs an identifier of image data which is recorded on an auxiliary recording medium and is mutually communicable between information processing systems is inputted in relation to the output subject identifier stored in the drawing data region. The input unit is arranged by, for example, a processing apparatus for executing a predetermined process, and also a key input apparatus such as a selection value inputting apparatus. For instance, the processing apparatus supplies identifiers of all of image data which are recorded on the auxiliary recording medium, and the selection value inputting apparatus causes a user to selectively input any one of the received identifiers, and then supplies the inputted identifier to the processing apparatus. Then, the processing apparatus defines the received identifier in relation to the output subject identifier.
(3) The image data acquiring unit transfers both image data which is specified while the identifier of the image data related to the output subject identifier is used as a retrieve key, and also character data belonging to the image data from the auxiliary recording medium via the input interface to a work area. The image data acquiring unit is arranged by, for instance, a reading apparatus of an auxiliary recording medium, and a processing apparatus for executing a predetermined process operation.
(4) The image processing unit produces first printing image data from the image data of the work area by employing the image output setting value, and also produces second printing image data from the character data of the work area by employing a character output setting value. The image processing unit is arranged by a processing apparatus for executing a predetermined process operation. The image output setting value is applied to such a parameter to which the processing apparatus refers in the case that image data is converted into printing image data which is expressed in a coordinate system allocated to a printing medium. For instance, the image output setting value is applied to such a parameter to which the processing apparatus refers while this processing apparatus calculates to determine that a certain pixel is arranged at which position on a printing medium. In the case that the character data belonging to the image data is converted into the printing image data expressed in the coordinate system allocated to the printing medium, the character output setting value is applied to the parameter to which the processing apparatus refers. For example, the character output setting value is applied to such a parameter for indicating that any one of the field values of the character data belonging to the image data is derived to be printed out, or and also is applied to such a parameter for determining a font, a font size, and a printing position.
(5) The printing unit prints out an image on a printing medium based upon both the first printing image data and the second printing image data. The printing unit is constituted by, for example, a printer engine equipped a paper transport mechanism, an ink jetting head, a head drive mechanism, a control board, and so on.
In accordance with the printing apparatus of the present invention, since the printing subject file in which the output condition such as the layout is determined is executed, the drawing data is produced from the image output setting value and the output subject identifier and also the character output setting value, which are contained by the printing subject file. As a result, the output condition of the character data belonging to the image data, and also, the output condition such as the layout of the image data, which is designated during the printing operation, can be previously set before the printing operation is carried out. Also, since the image data stored in the auxiliary recording medium are defined in relation to the output subject identifiers, the image data to be printed out can be designated. Since the relationship between the output subject identifiers and the image data stored in the auxiliary recording medium are changed, the image data to be printed out can be changed in the printing subject file.
In accordance with the printing apparatus of the present invention, in the case that an output subject identifier which has not yet been stored in the drawing data region is newly acquired via the input interface, the data storage unit stores the output subject identifier not yet stored in the drawing data region into an image retrieve region. The input unit defines an identifier of image data recorded on the auxiliary recording medium in relation to the output identifier to input the identifier of the related image data.
In accordance with the printing apparatus of the present invention, the identifiers of the image data are defined in relation to the output subject identifiers by the image retrieve region. As a consequence, according to the printing apparatus of the present invention, since the image data related thereto by the image retrieve region can be acquired from the auxiliary recording medium, the repeated (duplicated) output subject identifier may be acquired, and then, a plurality of images may be printed out based upon one image data in accordance with the different output setting values which are related to the duplicated output subject identifier, and also the character data belonging to this image data.
According to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the image processing unit applies the character output setting value to a parameter used to determine a field of character data in which the second printing image data is produced. As a result, the image processing unit can previously set as to whether or not any one of the field values of the character data belonging to the image data is derived to be printed out, before the image data to be printed out is designated.
According to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the image processing unit applies the character output setting value to a parameter used to determine a font of the second printing image data. As a result, the image processing unit can previously set as to whether or not the character data belonging to the image data is printed out by employing which font, before the image data to be outputted is designated.
According to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the image processing unit applies the character output setting value to a parameter used to determine a font size of the second printing image data. As a result, the image processing unit can previously set as to whether or not the character data belonging to the image data is printed out by employing which font size, before the image data to be outputted is designated.
According to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the image processing unit applies the character output setting value to a parameter used to determine a printing position of the second printing image data. As a result, the image processing unit can previously set as to whether or not the character data belonging to the image data is printed out by on which position of the printing medium, before the image data to be outputted is designated.